Bishoy Kamel
Photo: World Watch Monitor
Bishoy Kamel, 21, was seemingly brutally murdered in an altercation with a fellow soldier while serving a mandatory 25-month service with Egypt's security forces. The official report records the death as "suicide by hanging." But due to the multiple wounds on his body, Bishoy's family rejects this statement.
"His body bore signs of torture and extensive violence," Bishoy's father recalls. "His forehead was protruding from swelling. He had an injury to his nose; clear bruises under his arm, his right ear and his right cheek; and other bruises to his back and abdomen. If someone would hang themselves, would they also injure their underarms? Would they beat their own back and stomach?"
Hani Ramsis, the family's lawyer, has advised his clients to insist on an autopsy. "We have seen this same pattern in earlier cases," the lawyer explains, referring to the death of another Christian conscript, Bahaa Silvanus, whose case the army also classified as a suicide. "There was no evidence collected, no fingerprints taken, no investigation, nothing carried out, and yet they 'knew' it was suicide."
Bishoy's death is one of five similar cases, stretching back almost a decade. Interestingly, each of these deaths, predominantly attributed to suicide, had involved a Christian. Much to the families' anguish, claims of religious bullying were never properly investigated by the authorities. Bishoy's suspicious death has been the third case involving a Christian in army or police service during the year 2015.
Please pray for Bishoy's parents (and other family members) as they mourn the loss of their beloved son who would have otherwise been returning home after his completed term of army service. May they rest in the comfort that Bishoy is now safe in the arms of Jesus. Let us also join together in lifting up the members of the Egyptian army, praying that the country's military leaders will ensure proper investigations take place in cases of violence among their ranks. In the meantime, may God touch the hearts of all men and women serving within the country of Egypt, that there may be no malice amongst them, but rather unity and harmony for the benefit of all.
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